What do you think?
Rate this book
School Daze #4
Picklemania
A fast, fun, friendship read from the Newbery-award winning author of Maniac Magee.
Plumstead Middle School is full of secret plans. Eddie is on a mission to bulk up--he's sick of being the skinniest, scrawniest, runtiest kid in school. Sunny is plotting something that will keep the school bullies from ever bothering her again. Salem is trying to figure out who sent her that mysterious valentine message in the school newspaper. And Pickles has been building his greatest invention yet--and it's almost time to unveil it.
Plumstead Middle School is full of secret plans. Eddie is on a mission to bulk up--he's sick of being the skinniest, scrawniest, runtiest kid in school. Sunny is plotting something that will keep the school bullies from ever bothering her again. Salem is trying to figure out who sent her that mysterious valentine message in the school newspaper. And Pickles has been building his greatest invention yet--and it's almost time to unveil it.
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1993
7 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Spinelli
113 books4,015 followersWhen Jerry Spinelli was a kid, he wanted to grow up to be either a cowboy or a baseball player. Lucky for us he became a writer instead.
He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and went to college at Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 25 books and has six children and 16 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli began writing when he was 16 — not much older than the hero of his book Maniac Magee. After his high school football team won a big game, his classmates ran cheering through the streets — all except Spinelli, who went home and wrote a poem about the victory. When his poem was published in the local paper, Spinelli decided to become a writer instead of a major-league shortstop.
In most of his books, Spinelli writes about events and feelings from his own childhood. He also gets a lot of material from his seven adventurous kids! Spinelli and his wife, Eileen, also a children's book author, live in Pennsylvania.
He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and went to college at Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 25 books and has six children and 16 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli began writing when he was 16 — not much older than the hero of his book Maniac Magee. After his high school football team won a big game, his classmates ran cheering through the streets — all except Spinelli, who went home and wrote a poem about the victory. When his poem was published in the local paper, Spinelli decided to become a writer instead of a major-league shortstop.
In most of his books, Spinelli writes about events and feelings from his own childhood. He also gets a lot of material from his seven adventurous kids! Spinelli and his wife, Eileen, also a children's book author, live in Pennsylvania.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 8, 2018
I barely remember this book...so I can't say much, although you can't go wrong with a Jerry Spinelli book!
April 5, 2017
As I have to say before every review of a Jerry Spinelli book: I love Jerry Spinelli. A lot.
This book was so fun and adorable and just such a delight, like all the other books in the School Daze series. I'm really sad that it's over and am honestly tempted to just straight up write fanfiction for it, though I could never come up with the stuff Spinelli does.
My favorite things about this one:
1. Pickles Johnson. My favorite thing about every book in the series. What a character. He's very Spinelli-esque, the kind of character you have to love. I mean, come on, Pickles? The greatest nickname out there. I just love that kid.
2. The pickle posse's friendship. It's so interesting how different all these characters are, yet their little squad still makes so much sense. The whole time I was reading I was like "I hope and pray to God that these fictional 11 year olds stayed best friends forever, through high school and onward. It was all very pure and enduring. I wish I could go back to the day I went to Jerry Spinelli's author talk and book signing because he talked a lot about how he write kids so well in his stories, and I still can't quite understand how he does it.
3. Why does he know exactly what having a crush is like for an 11 year old girl? It was really entertaining thinking of an old man writing that stuff for Salem's Valentine's Day plot, which I hardcore related to.
I have 0 complaints about this entire series, not even a minor one. It's perfect. Jerry Spinelli if you're reading this you're perfect and don't ever change!!!!
This book was so fun and adorable and just such a delight, like all the other books in the School Daze series. I'm really sad that it's over and am honestly tempted to just straight up write fanfiction for it, though I could never come up with the stuff Spinelli does.
My favorite things about this one:
1. Pickles Johnson. My favorite thing about every book in the series. What a character. He's very Spinelli-esque, the kind of character you have to love. I mean, come on, Pickles? The greatest nickname out there. I just love that kid.
2. The pickle posse's friendship. It's so interesting how different all these characters are, yet their little squad still makes so much sense. The whole time I was reading I was like "I hope and pray to God that these fictional 11 year olds stayed best friends forever, through high school and onward. It was all very pure and enduring. I wish I could go back to the day I went to Jerry Spinelli's author talk and book signing because he talked a lot about how he write kids so well in his stories, and I still can't quite understand how he does it.
3. Why does he know exactly what having a crush is like for an 11 year old girl? It was really entertaining thinking of an old man writing that stuff for Salem's Valentine's Day plot, which I hardcore related to.
I have 0 complaints about this entire series, not even a minor one. It's perfect. Jerry Spinelli if you're reading this you're perfect and don't ever change!!!!
May 30, 2009
In Jerry Spinelli's Picklemania, four 6th grade friends experience Valentine's Day in a unique way. Sunny, Salem, Pickles, and Eddie baby-sit for Bobo's (their bus driver) three kids with very surprising results. Salem is sure she has a secret admirer, but the joke is on her when their teacher, Miss Billups and Bobo explain the mix-up that had Salem believing in a certain 8th graders's Valentine message. A silly, humorous story of middle school antics.
January 29, 2010
Read it as a kid. Loved this series!
July 5, 2022
I like Spinelli's books. This one was less moving than normal, but a fun read nonetheless. I think everyone knows from the get go that Salem is totally wrong in her assumptions about the Valentine, but I didn't love the fact that Bobo and his behavior is actually being condoned and encouraged. I do like that the book ends with a somewhat resolution with the Nickleheads.
October 22, 2021
Read this aloud to my kids. They liked it enough to stay engaged, but I felt the plot was pretty weak. The characters were pretty relatable and there were some funny parts for the kids, plus a surprise ending/romance. But overall could have been a bit more captivating. Still a quick, good read.
September 10, 2023
Very good, and a nice conclusion to the School Daze series. Pickles turns out to have some flaws, but who doesn't? I especially like the ending with the nickleheads, how everyone has some kid in them and some good in them.
November 16, 2017
Funny.
October 7, 2020
C-. fiction, children's fiction, upper elementary, friends, escapades, from stash, discard
January 7, 2022
It's great
January 7, 2024
Read this for nostalgia reasons. I sure do love Pickles!
July 30, 2024
Fun read! If you ever need to laugh, this is the book for you!
December 11, 2009
"That's life, kid. Some people you listen to, the rest you kick in the shins."
—Bobo, Picklemania, P. 69
Jerry Spinelli really puts a lot of writing effort into these School Daze books, and it clearly shows in the high quality of plot that each of the four books consistently demonstrates.
Picklemania, the last of the School Daze books to be published, is a story with a lot of heart, written with a great deal of sensitivity to the characters and their individual emotions. Most of the time it seems that books of this type are like a painting done with a single broad brushstroke, but Picklemania, and the other School Daze entries, are more along the lines of an etching, with careful attention paid to the small details and nuances of the work. That, alone, is impressive.
I wouldn't expect a book like this to linger in my mind, but this book does. It is a very good story that is absolutely worth the time to read, and I would give it my recommendation and a two-and-a-half-star rating.
—Bobo, Picklemania, P. 69
Jerry Spinelli really puts a lot of writing effort into these School Daze books, and it clearly shows in the high quality of plot that each of the four books consistently demonstrates.
Picklemania, the last of the School Daze books to be published, is a story with a lot of heart, written with a great deal of sensitivity to the characters and their individual emotions. Most of the time it seems that books of this type are like a painting done with a single broad brushstroke, but Picklemania, and the other School Daze entries, are more along the lines of an etching, with careful attention paid to the small details and nuances of the work. That, alone, is impressive.
I wouldn't expect a book like this to linger in my mind, but this book does. It is a very good story that is absolutely worth the time to read, and I would give it my recommendation and a two-and-a-half-star rating.
February 25, 2012
An excellent ending to the Plumstead series. I love these kids and think it would be a lot of fun to have them in my classroom. Love is in the air, with Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, and this time the focus is not on Eddie's obsession with Sunny. Salem gets struck by cupid's arrow and her 11 year old girl plight rings true. Cute and funny. This is the best book in the series, after the first.
June 4, 2014
This is one amazing book. It was a non-stop page turning book. So many like 'whats gonna happen next?' or 'WHY?WHY?' from me. That twist at the end was just mind blowing. I recommend this to every kid in middle grade or elementary.
June 29, 2015
I like the School Daze books by Spinelli. They're cute, funny, and usually have some things to think about--like how to treat friends, not to judge people, and what to do about bullies. This s on a 4th grade reading level.
November 22, 2015
So, there's a book that comes before this one that's about the Pickle gang. But the LA library system doesn't have it. So I just grabbed this one. It is hard, because the reader is thrown in as if we've met these characters before. But it's still pretty charming.
December 29, 2011
Cute book! I especially liked how good the four friends were to each other.
September 6, 2016
Pickles and his friends are waiting for it to snow so they can make use of the new sled Pickles has built. They must also figure out all the problems associated with middle school.
Read
January 1, 2014AR Quiz No. 86674 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: MG - BL: 4.3 - AR Pts: 3.0
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP, VP
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: MG - BL: 4.3 - AR Pts: 3.0
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP, VP
August 22, 2014
This was not one of my favorite books but it was pretty entertaining. If you like mysteries there were a lot in here.
February 24, 2016
It was another great book by Jerry Spinelli!
March 8, 2016
Try reading this aloud to your friends and have them not laugh.
December 24, 2017
My favorite gang of four and their antics and funny yet touching in many ways and just a lot of fun and relateable in many ways too and I enjoyed many characters too.
November 12, 2014
this book was so good. it was also so funny!
August 22, 2018
Somewhat amusing, but full of crass language, potty humor, and name-calling.
Read
September 10, 2018meh
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews